Shadeglyn
The Shadeglyn is the massive forest valley that takes up most of central and northern Boscuro. Its enormous trees block out the sun except in rare breaks through the foliage. There are numerous small cities and towns built in the Shadeglyn, virtually all of them comprised of modern treehouses and powered by magic or solar energy from panels above the trees. Though some of this is due to lingering beliefs that the Shadeglyn is sacred, it is also out of fear. Those who desecrate or attempt to tear down the forest go missing, their equipment left rusted over and abandoned where they were last seen. Residents of the Shadeglyn may cite the goddess Adanore as the cause for this phenomenon. The Shadeglyn does not have paved roads. Transportation is done either by walking on mostly-natural paths that weave through the forest, or, in areas where the paths are more clear, by biking. Some parts of the Shadeglyn have ziplines to get from one part of a city to another, though this is rare and requires that the city was built in a grove of some kind to begin with. Religion Some revere the Shadeglyn as a deity in and of itself. Worship of the Shadeglyn is not an organized faith by any means; rather, it is more seen as a respect for nature, a reverence for the primal nature of the world, and uncovering the mystic secrets that the Shadeglyn has hidden away and will only reveal to those that can truly speak the words of the wild. While a general definition may lead some to believing anyone who lives in Boscuro and does not desecrate the forest worships Shadeglyn, actually acquiring power from the Shadeglyn generally requires conscious effort and seeking it out. Worship of the Shadeglyn comes, essentially, in three parts: humility, duty, and memory. Humility is acknowledging that the forest does not need people to survive; rather, people need the forest to survive, as it will not suffer their presence should it choose so. Cities have come and gone, but the Shadeglyn continues to stand, growing only stronger as the centuries go by. Duty is a respect for life and all living things. While death is inevitable, even within the Shadeglyn's bountiful forests, great care must be taken to not forsake one's duty to preserving the Shadeglyn and places like it. Memory is essentially tapping into the long, ancient history of the Shadeglyn and nature. It is less a tenet and more a reward for those that the Shadeglyn sees fit to bless. Because all the world was once forest, all the world has, essentially, a piece of the Shadeglyn's mystical power, and that power flows through all worlds, deep within the earth. One who reveres the Shadeglyn might say that anywhere you can feel one with nature or otherwise in awe of the natural world is a place of power; it is somewhere that one can acquire a greater understanding of the universe and the secrets that the Shadeglyn holds. The roaring of an enormous waterfall that has carved valleys through the land, the endless expanse of a desert stretching on for miles, the peak of a mountain that scrapes the sky -- all of these places have that primal, ancient power that sleeps within the Shadeglyn. A Shadeglyn worshiper might be best at home in a forest, but they would be hard-pressed to ignore the secrets that other places of power have. Some may believe that the Shadeglyn will eventually overtake the world or even all worlds, and they consequently choose to travel and carry with them seeds from the sacred forest to plant in areas where they may grow strongest. This strengthens the connection the Shadeglyn has to even distant places, increasing the overall natural power of the world. However, some would argue against manipulating the natural order of areas outside the Shadeglyn. Instead, such people will merely carry with them something that serves as a reminder of the Shadeglyn, such as a charm carved out of a fallen branch. Worshipers of the Shadeglyn will almost universally have a respect for nature and the natural way of things. Many will have highly intelligent animal or sentient plant companions that accompany them, or they may otherwise have a knack for tracking through even the most inhospitable of natural terrains. They may remain intentionally neutral on conflicts that are mostly political and do not pertain to nature or the preservation of the world's natural order. This is not an express doctrine or rule, but merely the outcome of a faith that sees mankind as disposable or temporary and nature as immortal and eternal. Contrary to some popular culture beliefs, Shadeglyn adepts do not ban the use of metal in tools, armor, or technology. Metal is seen as a natural part of the world given new shape, and because metal is unliving, it may be preferable in some cases to use metal in lieu of wood or leather, as those might come at the cost of nature. Someone who worships the Shadeglyn would likely only use wood from trees that have already fallen, or only taking branches that will not permanently damage the tree; they would also be less likely to kill an animal unless they intended to use the entire beast's body, as they are disrupting the natural cycle by killing an animal when they have other means of acquiring food. Because this is increasingly inconvenient to do on account of modern concenivneces, many modern Shadeglyn worshipers will instead be vegetarians by choice. Shadeglyn worshipers might view technology that uses Chrono as somewhat odd or even inefficient, relying on a potentially dangerous magic that can backfire and cause harm. The Shadeglyn and all nature can grant powers that do not "misfire" like arcane magic can. As such, many of those who worship the Shadeglyn also have disparaging opinions of many sabarus alphas, which run on Chrono, and those who manipulate their bodies to have cybernetics. Such things are a defiance of the natural body, which was able to survive thousands of years and reach its current form through the grace of nature. By extension, those who revere the Shadeglyn tend to look down on other modifications of the body, believing that if a change to one's body is truly desired, the Shadeglyn will answer and bless the person if they live according to what is best for the natural world. Truly understanding the Shadeglyn would take centuries -- longer than any mortal life. As such, those who see the Shadeglyn as a deity in and of itself tend to view the afterlife as becoming one with nature and finally being able to unite with it, understanding it through becoming a part of it. Some also believe in reincarnation, citing feelings of déjà vu in places of power as evidence that they were once in that location in a past life. Because this is not a written doctrine, there are disagreements on what exactly reincarnation could entail. Some might say that a person can only reincarnate as a person. Others believe in a sort of tiered reincarnation where every life is meant to get closer to nature, a life well-lived going from a person to an animal to a tree that will outlive all of them if allowed to grow. Those who believe in reincarnation in this manner may view their animal companions as important figures from a past life, here to guide them and protect them. Worship of the Shadeglyn, due to the amount of dedication it requires, is very rare, not at all helped by its very mystical and hard to understand nature. However, those who revere the Shadeglyn often do so for life, and if they have children, it is likely that they will also have the same type of reverence for the Shadeglyn, though some feel strangely drawn to this expansive forest instead, even coming from other planets entirely in search of the forest's secrets, and become worshipers of the Shadeglyn like that. Category:Locations Category:No Spoilers Category:Gods